Stethoscope with removable light assembly

ABSTRACT

A light transmitting device for attachment to a stethoscope headpiece which provides for reversible engagement of the device to the headpiece so that the same can be removed such as for repairs or replacement of batteries. The transmitting device provides a source of light without interfering with the operation of the stethoscope and can be provided without retooling the stethoscope to accommodate a source of light.

This is a divisional of Ser. No. 10/637,839 filed Aug. 8, 2003 now U.S.Pat. No. 6,932,186.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to a light transmittingassembly which may be reversibly attached to the headpiece of astethoscope to provide a readily accessible light source when needed andwhich provides the ability to remove the light transmitting assemblywhen not needed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known in the art to provide attachments to a stethoscope to enablea doctor to employ various devices that may be used during the course ofconducting an examination of a patient when a stethoscope is needed aspart of the examination.

One such example is disclosed in Wehby (U.S. Pat. No. 2,566,687) inwhich a stethoscope head is constructed with a flashlight, tongue bladeand thermometer to produce a comprehensive stethoscope type ofapparatus. Such devices are disadvantageous because the stethoscope headmust be retooled at significant costs and the resulting stethoscope,although having the additional features set forth in the reference, mustbe produced at significantly higher cost in order to accommodate all ofthe medical devices within the head of the stethoscope.

There have been stethoscopes provided with a light source which do notinclude other medical functions. One such example is disclosed inAratriste (U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,186) which includes a stethoscope headand flexible tubing coupled to the stethoscope head and in communicationwith ear pieces for the transmission of sound from the patient's body. Acasing is affixed to a cover of the stethoscope head and has a lightsource mounted therein. Quite clearly, as with the '687 Patentreference, significant modification of a standard stethoscope especiallythe headpiece must be made in order to accommodate the light source partin the '186 Patent reference.

Another example of a stethoscope with a light source is disclosed inRyan (U.S. Pat. No. 6,454,045) which employs an optical fiber lightthrough the tubing that connects the ear pieces to the stethoscope head.Hereagain, such a device requires significant retooling of the standardstethoscope and although providing a suitable light source, it does soat a significant increase in cost.

It would therefore be desirable for use with a standard stethoscope tohave a light source which is reversibly attachable to the headpiece ofthe stethoscope which can be used as desired and readily removed whennot needed.

It would be a further advantage in the art of providing a stethoscopewith a light source to enable the light resource to be readilyaccessible to have component parts such as light bulbs and batterieseasily replaced without having to involve a stethoscope itself in therepair process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to a light transmittingdevice for attachment to a stethoscope headpiece which can be easilyattached to the headpiece and removed therefrom as needed such as whenrepairs are desired.

In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lighttransmitting device for attachment to a stethoscope headpiececomprising:

a housing having a forward end and a rearward end, said rearward endcomprising a pair of spaced apart opposed arms defining a spacetherebetween for releasably receiving a portion of the stethoscopeheadpiece in reversible locking engagement, said forward end containinga light transmitting assembly and means for selectively activating thelight transmitting assembly to thereby generate and transmit light whilethe light transmitting device is in locking engagement with thestethoscope headpiece.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following drawings in which like reference characters indicate likeparts are illustrative of embodiments of the invention and are notintended to limit the invention as encompassed by the claims formingpart of the application.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the light transmittingdevice of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the light transmitting device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the light transmitting device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the light transmitting device ofFIG. 1 prior to engagement with the headpiece of a stethoscope;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the light transmitting device shown inlocking engagement with the headpiece of a stethoscope;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the light transmitting assemblycontained within the light transmitting device;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a light transmitting device in asecond embodiment of the present invention prior to engagement with theheadpiece of a stethoscope;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the light transmitting device of FIG. 7shown in locking engagement with the headpiece of a stethoscope; and

FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view showing the exploded assembly detailof the light transmitting device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to a light transmittingassembly which is reversibly attachable to the headpiece of astethoscope. The device can be easily attached to the headpiece of thestethoscope and can be easily activated to emit a light beam to assistmedical personnel in performing medical functions such as thoseassociated with use of a stethoscope. When the light transmitting deviceis no longer of use, or is in need of repairs, it can be easily removedfrom the headpiece of the stethoscope.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, there isshown a light transmitting device 2 for attachment to a stethoscopeheadpiece (See FIGS. 4 and 5). The light transmitting device 2 has aforward portion 4 and a rearward portion 6. The forward portion 4contains a light transmitting assembly as described hereinafter whichincludes a light transmitting activator 8 in the form of an on/offswitch which can ultimately be turned on and off by pressing thereonwith a finger such as the thumb. A beam of light emanates from the lighttransmitting assembly through a bulb 10 partially extending from theforward portion 4 through an opening 12.

The rearward portion 6 of the light transmitting device 2 is adapted toreleasably engage the headpiece of a stethoscope as discussedhereinafter in connection with FIG. 4. The rearward portion 6 iscomprised of a pair of spaced apart arms 14 a and 14 b. The arms 14 aand 14 b comprise an inner portion 16 a and 16 b and an outer portion 18a and 18 b. The inner portion 16 a, 16 b of respective arms 14 a, 14 bare in a spaced apart relationship which enables the arms 14 a and 14 bto engage in reversible locking engagement with the head of thestethoscope. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the inner portion16 a and 16 b have the respective arms 14 a and 14 b form a curvilinear,essentially circular inner surface 20 which is tailored to fit around acorresponding substantially circular surface of the headpiece of thestethoscope as explained hereinafter.

The outer portions 18 a and 18 b of the arms 14 a and 14 b extend at anangle from the respective inner portion 16 a and 16 b so that the outerportions 18 a and 18 b may serve as clips to disengage the arms from theheadpiece of the stethoscope. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,the outer portions 18 a and 18 b have respective inner surfaces 22 a and22 b which when forced in opposite directions can release the lighttransmitting device from contact with the headpiece of the stethoscopeso that it may be removed therefrom. This operation is best shown inFIG. 3 wherein the user may apply pressure to the inner surfaces 22 aand 22 b in the direction of the respective arrows thereby forcing theinner surfaces 22 a and 22 b further away from each other so that theinner surface 20 is released from locking engagement with thecorresponding surface of the headpiece of the stethoscope.

The light transmitting device of the present invention may be secured tothe stethoscope headpiece as shown in FIG. 4. As shown therein thestethoscope headpiece 30 comprises a base 32 for placing against thepatient's skin and a holder 34 between the base 32 and the holder 34 isa neck portion 36 which provides operative contact with a tube 38 whichenables sound to travel from the base 32 to the medical personnel's earsfor an ear piece (not shown) in a conventional manner. The neck portion36 has an exterior surface 40 which is shown in FIG. 4 as beingcurvilinear. It will be understand that the neck portion 36 may haveother shapes such as a square, rectangle, polygon and the like.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the neck portion has a curvilinearsurface 40 which is conventional for headpieces typically associated foruse with stethoscopes. As shown in FIG. 4, the light transmitting device2 has an inner surface 20 which has the same curvilinear shape as thesurface 40 of the neck portion 36. When it is desirable to attach thelight transmitting assembly 22 to the neck portion 36 of the headpiece30, the user aligns the arms 14 a and 14 b with the neck portion 36 andthen moves the light transmitting device into position as shown in FIG.5. The arms 14 a and 14 b will flex about the neck portion 36 and besecured thereto in reversible locking engagement as shown in FIG. 5.

When it is desirable to remove the light transmitting device fromoperable contact with the headpiece 30, the user moves the arms 14 a and14 b away from each other by moving the same away from each other asshown and described in connection with FIG. 3. The arms 14 a and 14 bare thereby able to disengage from the neck portion 36 so that the lighttransmitting device 2 is released from operable engagement to theheadpiece.

The light transmitting device 2 contains within the forward portion 4 alight transmitting assembly. Access to the light transmitting assembly50 in the forward portion 4 is via a cover 52 which may be secured tothe light transmitting device 2 in a variety of ways. As specificallyshown in FIG. 6, a cover has a pair of projections which are adapted toreversibly secure the cover 52 through corresponding slots 56.

The light transmitting assembly 50 includes a power source 58 such asone or more batteries and a bulb 10 which is secured in a protectivecasing 60. Whereas provided between the power source 58 and the bulb 10a conventional electrical connection which enables electrical power tobe provided to the bulb to light the bulb when desired. The lighttransmitting activator 8 (as shown best in FIG. 1) enables controloperable contact between the power source 58 and the bulb 10 shown inFIG. 6 so that the presence or absence of light through the bulb 10 iscontrolled by the user of the device.

With reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, there is shown as a second embodimentof the present invention a light transmitting device indicated generallyby reference numeral 62. The light transmitting device 62 provides aneasy and effective means of providing a light source in proximity to thehead of a stethoscope in a manner similar to the light transmittingdevice 2 of FIG. 1. The light transmitting device 62 is generallycomposed of a two piece interlocking structure which can be readilydisassembled and re-assembled for securing engagement with the headpiece30 of a stethoscope as will be further described hereinafter. The lighttransmitting device 62 has a forward component 64 and a rearwardcomponent 66 operatively associated with one another. The forwardcomponent 64 contains a light transmitting assembly as further describedhereinafter which includes a light transmitting activator 68 in the formof an on/off switch which can be turned on and off by pressing thereonwith a finger such as the thumb. A beam of light is emitted from thelight transmitting assembly through a bulb 70 shown partially extendingfrom the forward component 64 through an opening 72.

The rearward component 66 of the light transmitting device 62 isdesigned to engage and couple with the forward component 64 to form anenclosure, preferably an adjustable enclosure, around the neck portion36 of the headpiece 30. The enclosure formed by the coupling of theforward and rearward components 64 and 66 securely attaches the lighttransmitting device 62 to the stethoscope headpiece 30 as shown best inFIG. 8.

Referring back to FIG. 7, the forward component 64 includes a curvedinside surface 74 which is adapted to at least substantially conform tothe curvilinear shape of the surface 40 of the neck portion 36. Therearward component 66 includes a curved inner surface 76 which is whichis adapted to at least substantially conform to the curvilinear shape ofthe surface 40 of the neck portion 36 on the opposite side from theforward component 64. The rearward component 66 includes a groove 78 foraccommodating the stethoscope tube 38, and a pair of spaced apart arms80 a and 80 b for engagement with the forward component 64. The arms 80a and 80 b each comprise a serrated outer portion 82 a and 82 bcomprised of alternating projections 94 and furrows 96. Each of the arms80 a and 80 b extends along one side of the stethoscope neck portion 36to initiate a reversible locking engagement with the forward component64 as will be explained hereinafter. The arms 80 a and 80 b enable thelight transmitting device 62 to accommodate varying diameters of theheadpiece 30 of the stethoscope by allowing the first and secondcomponents 64 and 66 to be moved away or toward each other as requiredfor providing secure attachment thereon.

With reference to FIG. 9, the forward component 64 includes a pair ofslots 84 a and 84 b which are correspondingly positioned to reversiblyreceive and retain therein the associated arms 80 a and 80 b. The slots84 a and 84 b include serrated inside surfaces 86 a and 86 b includingcorresponding projections 98 and furrows 100 which are adapted tointeract with the serrated outer portions 82 a and 82 b, and theircorresponding projections 94 and furrows 96 of the arms 80 a and 80 b,respectively, to provide adjustable frictional contact and retainment.When it is desirable to remove the light transmitting device 62 fromoperable contact with the headpiece 30, the forward and rearwardcomponents 64 and 66 can be pulled apart and away from each other. Thearms 80 a and 80 b of the rear component 66 are thereby able todisengage from the slots 84 a and 84 b of the forward component 64 sothat the light transmitting device 62 is released from operableengagement to the stethoscope headpiece 30 of the stethoscope. Thepresence of several adjacent pairs of projections 94 and furrows 96 onthe arms 80 a and 80 b and corresponding projections 98 and furrows 100of the inside surfaces 86 a and 86 b of the slots 84 a and 84 b,respectively enables the forward components rearward components 64 and66 to be secured about the headpiece 30 over a range of widths andsizes.

The light transmitting device 62 contains within the forward component64 a light transmitting assembly. Access to the light transmittingassembly (not shown) in the forward component 64 is via a cover 88 whichmay be secured to the light transmitting device 62 in a variety of ways.The light transmitting assembly generally comprises the same componentsincluding a power source 90 such as one or more batteries and a bulb 70which is secured in a protective casing 92 as similarly described forthe light transmitting device 2. Whereas provided between the powersource 90 and the bulb 70 a conventional electrical connection whichenables electrical power to be provided to the bulb to light the bulbwhen desired. The light transmitting activator 68 enables control overthe operable contact between the power source 90 and the bulb 70 so thatthe presence or absence of light through the bulb 70 is controlled bythe user of the device.

The light transmitting device of the present invention may beconstructed from a variety of materials, preferably a sturdy butflexible plastic material such as polyethylene, polypropylene,polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and the like.

1. A light transmitting device for attachment to a stethoscopeheadpiece, said device comprising: a first component containing at oneend a light transmitting assembly and means for selectively activatingthe light transmitting assembly to thereby transmit light therefrom; anda second component for releasably attaching to the other end of thefirst component about the stethoscope headpiece to reversibly attach thelight transmitting device to the stethoscope headpiece.
 2. The lighttransmitting device of claim 1 wherein: the second component comprises apair of spaced apart arms for extending around said portion of thestethoscope head; and the first component comprises a pair of spacedapart slots for reversibly receiving and retaining therein saidcorresponding arms of the second component.
 3. The light transmittingdevice of claim 1 further comprising adjustment means for adjusting theposition of the first and second components with respect to each otherto thereby enable the light transmitting device to attach to thestethoscope headpiece having a variety of sizes.
 4. The lighttransmitting device of claim 2 wherein the spaced apart arms and thespaced apart slots comprise a plurality of projections and furrows tothe extent to which the second component is received by the firstcomponent is adjustable.